Psychology Department, University of California, Davis, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2013 Feb;75(2):153-60. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22093. Epub 2012 Nov 20.
Two health problems have plagued captive common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) colonies for nearly as long as those colonies have existed: marmoset wasting syndrome and metabolic bone disease. While marmoset wasting syndrome is explicitly linked to nutrient malabsorption, we propose metabolic bone disease is also linked to nutrient malabsorption, although indirectly. If animals experience negative nutrient balance chronically, critical nutrients may be taken from mineral stores such as the skeleton, thus leaving those stores depleted. We indirectly tested this prediction through an initial investigation of digestive efficiency, as measured by apparent energy digestibility, and serum parameters known to play a part in metabolic bone mineral density of captive common marmoset monkeys. In our initial study on 12 clinically healthy animals, we found a wide range of digestive efficiencies, and subjects with lower digestive efficiency had lower serum vitamin D despite having higher food intakes. A second experiment on 23 subjects including several with suspected bone disease was undertaken to measure digestive and serum parameters, with the addition of a measure of bone mineral density by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Bone mineral density was positively associated with apparent digestibility of energy, vitamin D, and serum calcium. Further, digestive efficiency was found to predict bone mineral density when mediated by serum calcium. These data indicate that a poor ability to digest and absorb nutrients leads to calcium and vitamin D insufficiency. Vitamin D absorption may be particularly critical for indoor-housed animals, as opposed to animals in a more natural setting, because vitamin D that would otherwise be synthesized via exposure to sunlight must be absorbed from their diet. If malabsorption persists, metabolic bone disease is a possible consequence in common marmosets. These findings support our hypothesis that both wasting syndrome and metabolic bone disease in captive common marmosets are consequences of inefficient nutrient absorption.
两种健康问题一直困扰着圈养的普通狨猴（Callithrix jacchus）群体，几乎与这些群体的存在时间一样长：狨猴消瘦综合征和代谢性骨病。虽然狨猴消瘦综合征明确与营养吸收不良有关，但我们提出代谢性骨病也与营养吸收不良有关，尽管是间接的。如果动物长期经历负营养平衡，关键营养素可能会从骨骼等矿物质储存中被摄取，从而导致这些储存耗尽。我们通过对消化效率的初步研究间接检验了这一预测，消化效率通过表观能量消化率来衡量，以及血清参数已知在圈养普通狨猴的代谢性骨矿物质密度中发挥作用。在我们对 12 只临床健康动物的初步研究中，我们发现消化效率的范围很广，消化效率较低的动物尽管食物摄入量较高，但血清维生素 D 水平较低。对 23 只包括一些疑似骨骼疾病的动物进行了第二次实验，以测量消化和血清参数，并通过双能 X 射线吸收法（DEXA）测量骨矿物质密度。骨矿物质密度与能量、维生素 D 和血清钙的表观消化率呈正相关。此外，当通过血清钙介导时，消化效率被发现可以预测骨矿物质密度。这些数据表明，消化和吸收营养物质的能力差会导致钙和维生素 D 不足。维生素 D 吸收对于室内饲养的动物可能特别重要，而不是在更自然环境中的动物，因为原本通过暴露在阳光下合成的维生素 D 必须从饮食中吸收。如果吸收不良持续存在，代谢性骨病可能是普通狨猴的一种可能后果。这些发现支持了我们的假设，即圈养普通狨猴的消瘦综合征和代谢性骨病都是营养吸收效率低下的后果。
